Old Coyote’s Saturday Night by Allan Gordon Bell

Advanced Piano, on RCM ARCT syllabus. Composed at the request of Marilyn Engle and commissioned by Douglas McCullough. One movement, various tempi. Duration: c. 7:30. The opening coyote howl resurfaces in different guises throughout the piece, mirroring the coyote of folklore – in First Nations stories, the coyote is known as a prankster and shape-shifter. The four main sections are distinguished by four dances common during settler gatherings in western Canada and include the “two-step,” “butterfly,” “western swing,” and “breakdown.” Fragments from the first three dances are heard in the final “breakdown” dance.